Due to the pending impact from Hurricane Fiona the following events have been cancelled:

16 ^th  Annual Craigs Cause Memorial Walk Run

The Kinney Place ( Old NS Home ) Reopening will be reschedule to October 22 & 23

I would like to welcome all students back to school. Please stay alert and keep following NS Public Health advice on preventing the transmission of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Your education is important for you to succeed in life. All motorists need to be extra careful with students walking, cycling, commuting or travelling by school bus.

HRM Household Special Waste (HSW) mobile depots will be held at Cole Harbour Place on Saturday, Sept. 3rd and at Oyster Pond Academy on Saturday, Sept. 10th from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (rain or shine). To know what type of items you can bring to the HSW mobile depot, please go to:  www.halifax.ca/home-property/garbage-recycling-green-cart/household-special-waste   

This is their biggest fundraiser each year, attracting thousands of visitors from all over Canada. The 2022 Open House will be held on Saturday, Sept. 10th from 12 noon – 4 p.m. Admission is FREE! There will be wildlife displays and demonstrations, activities for the kids, live music, barbeque, a silent auction, as well as local exhibitors, crafts, and food! All funds raised go to support Hope for Wildlife’s efforts to help injured and orphaned wildlife in Nova Scotia. You can find information on their Facebook Page:  www.facebook.com/hopeforwildlife   

Back in 1980, Terry Fox took his Marathon of Hope through our Eastern Shore communities along Highway #7. Now we can keep his dream alive that cancer can be beaten. There will be Terry Fox Runs on Sunday, Sept. 18th in Lake Echo, Musquodoboit Harbour and Sheet Harbour. Find a Run near you and register at:  www.terryfox.org. If you can’t make it to a run, please sponsor someone who will be participating. Or you can text “terryfox” to 45678 to donate $5. @terryfoxfoundation #terryfoxrun #ImNotaQuitter 

Due to construction delays and supply chain issues the original opening date in June 2022 had to be delayed until Sept. 24th – 26th. On Sunday, Sept. 25th at 2 p.m. Akoma will be officially reopening the Old Home as the renewed Kinney Place as an intergenerational community hub with an all-day breakfast café, hair salon with aestheticians, seniors drop-in centre and various offices. There were plans to commemorate the original opening of the NS Home for Colored Children 101 years ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic reduced that to a virtual ceremony instead. Now there will be a weekend of events with a Youth Talent Show, old school music DJ dance, food truck rally, opening ceremonies and tours. Visit  www.Akoma.ca   or their Facebook Page: Akoma Family Centre / Holdings Inc.

St. David’s United Church in Lake Echo (#2723 Hwy #7) will be conducting a Second Chance Clothing Sale on Friday, Sept. 30th from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. FREE admission, but food bank donations will also be gladly accepted. Proceeds from this Community Fundraiser will go to helping those less fortunate in our local communities and within HRM through various outreach programs. For more details, please contact Beth Wilkinson: 902-827-4020.

A new accessory structure, such as a detached shed or garage, must be built to meet minimum public health, fire and structural safety and property protection standards. Permits and inspections are required to review for compliance with these standards which provide a safe and healthy environment. A Building Permit is required to construct an accessory building (i.e., shed or garage) that is 20 m2 (215 square feet) or larger, or more than one story. If the building is less than 20 m2 (215 square feet), a Development Permit is needed as the requirements of the local Land Use By-Law governing location on the property and the height of the building are applicable. For more details, please go to the HRM website:  www.halifax.ca/home-property/building-development-permits/house-home/develop-your-property#shed  

HRM Council voted unanimously to adopt the proposed amendments to the Halifax Regional Municipal Planning Strategy, and all 21 Secondary Municipal Planning Strategies and Land Use By[1]laws to establish consistent region-wide policies and regulations to allow shared housing, including rooming houses, dormitories, group homes, halfway houses and special care homes for seniors. Previously, these dwellings were only permitted in certain zones under the previous regulations, but they will now be allowed across HRM. The report and its recommendations outline the comprehensive update for housing policy and regulation to allow a greater variety of shared housing options across the municipality. For more details:   https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/regional-council/220809rc101.pdf

The HRM Property Tax Exemption and Deferral Program is now part of a combined Affordable Access Program. If you need help paying your property taxes, HRM offers a few choices; the options are as follows. You can apply for Rebate, Deferral or Payment Plan:

• Rebate: if your household income is less than $34,000, the Municipality will pay a portion of your property taxes. The amount of rebate varies with income and residential taxes billed.

• Rebate and a Deferral: After the rebate has been applied to your tax account you can postpone payment of the remaining current year taxes. The interest rate is Prime -2% for customers in the program and Prime +2% for those who did not reapply.

• Deferral of Local Improvement Charges: Local improvement charges may be added as a lien against a property for services such as sewer, water, or road work. These charges are paid once a year. If you need help paying for a local improvement charge, you can set up a payment plan or apply to defer the charges.

• A Payment Plan: Rather than two large semi-annual payments, you can pay in smaller monthly amounts. More details can be found at:  www.halifax.ca/home-property/property-taxes/exemptions   or  www.halifax.ca/about-halifax/affordable-access-program   

The Nova Scotia Property Tax Rebate program is for seniors who have been receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement in January of the application year. Criteria requires you to have paid your property taxes from the prior year in full. A receipt from the municipality showing property taxes are paid in full is required by the program. Applicants to this program receive a rebate on half of their taxes paid up to a maximum of $800. Applications are accepted from July 1st to December 31st when the program closes. For further information please visit  www.novascotia.ca/sns/access/individuals/consumer-awareness/property-tax-rebate-for-seniors.asp    . Applications must be postmarked by December 31st and are available from Service Nova Scotia by calling 902-424- 5200 or toll free at 1-800-670-4357, or at any Access Nova Scotia centre